


and in the end i'd do it all again

by pitchblackkoi



Category: Rusty Quill Gaming (Podcast)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canonical Character Death, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, and then your friends shout at you to write it, hints of zolf/hamid at the very end, this is what happens when you take a what if scenario too far
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-11
Updated: 2019-10-11
Packaged: 2020-12-12 04:40:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,606
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20982875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pitchblackkoi/pseuds/pitchblackkoi
Summary: Under the effect of the Feeblemind, Hamid instinctively goes to find Zolf. Zolf, who had been well away from that fight, has to figure out what happened.





	and in the end i'd do it all again

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ohallows](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohallows/gifts), [blacksatinpointeshoes](https://archiveofourown.org/users/blacksatinpointeshoes/gifts).

> so a happy belated birthday to connor and a happy early birthday to bri! i hope you two don't mind sharing this present since i don't have the time to make you individual gift fic. love you both!

_ Hamid watches a lot happen as he loses himself. He gets the book away from Kafka (Dangerous Man, full of magic and hurting people he cares about), the one he only barely remembers is Dangerous and Bad. He’s quickly kicked to the side, slammed viciously into a wall in the wings of the stage. It hurts, like maybe something is broken, but the adrenaline that buzzes in his veins helps him push past the pain. _

_ By the time he gains his awareness back, sitting upright on all fours, he can only watch as Bertie (Big Loud Friend, makes him feel bad but protects him) falls to the ground, scrabbling at his neck for hands that aren’t there. His face is blue, eyes glassy. Even with his limited faculties Hamid knows that means he will die, that he  _ is  _ dying. Hamid wants to help but Kafka is right there, attention on Bertie and saying words that slip right past him because he isn’t paying attention to them, too busy watching his Friend’s face as he flails against nothing. _

_ But suddenly that doesn’t matter anymore because then he sees Aziza (Big Sister, Opera Singer, soft and kind words, the one who has always, always understood him) hits the back wall of the theatre with a loud resounding  _ **crack** _ . A pained whine escapes Hamid’s throat as he bounds from the wings of the stage over to her. He keeps a careful eye on Kafka, shaking with fear and rage as he passes him, but he is paid no mind.  _

_ He leans over her, his Kin, with a face that looks so much like his, and is filled with intense sorrow. When he has all of his mind he is no expert at medicine but even like this he  _ knows _ . She is Gone. From her lack of breath to the unnatural angle her neck is at she is obviously dead and gone. He puts one clawed hand to her cheek and leans back his head and howls with grief. It resounds deep in his chest, full of grief and sorrow and fear. But even then he is paid no mind. Bertie is motionless and Kafka has picked his tome back up and is continuing his ritual.  _

_ Being ignored suddenly makes Hamid furious (couldn’t the Evil Man tell he had killed someone Important, someone Precious?) and he charges at Kafka with full force. But that, too, is brushed to the side with a single kick to his ribs. He hears an awful laugh, out loud and in his head so he can’t escape it no matter what he does. He shakes his head and he knows that he has to get out of here or he, too, will die.  _

_ So he runs. He runs from the theatre and to the streets. He remembers there is someone else. There is another important person who is alone. Sasha (Dark Woman, closed off with weapons always at the ready, a Friend) is with Grizzop (Small Man, quick and stern and efficient, not a friend but trustworthy) so they should be okay. But there is someone missing, someone Important, someone who doesn’t know what’s going on. Hamid can’t picture their face, not with his mind the way it is, but he remembers how they smell (like saltwater and a cool breeze and safety and home). If he can find that scent he kind find the person.  _

_ He runs through empty streets that are only barely familiar by the light of street lamps and tries to find them. It takes him a while, or at least it feels like a long time, but he finds the scent. He makes a small noise of joy, only remembering that this scent, this person, is safety and home and protection. He can protect them, too.  _

_ It doesn’t take him long after that to track them down after catching the scent. He finds Zolf ( _ that’s _ who it is, Ocean Man, Healer Friend, who makes him feel warm inside and is as infuriating as he is calming, who is dependable) standing in the middle of the street with a sword held in front of him defensively. Hamid makes a happy little trilling noise in the back of his throat and bounds his way over to his friend.  _

_ Zolf starts upon hearing him and turns towards him just in time for Hamid to collide with his chest and knock him to the ground. He pays no mind, too busy nuzzling his head into the space where Zolf’s neck meets his shoulder and hooking his claws into his jacket with plans of never letting go, not letting this precious person get taken from him as well. A purring rumble starts up in his chest. He feels content now. Safe. _

Of course, Zolf doesn’t seem to think so given the first thing he does is shout “What the fuck?”

_ Hamid, confused about being shouted at, lifts his head to look at Zolf and make a confused little whine. He doesn’t understand why Zolf isn’t excited to see him again. He left but Hamid found him again and now they can watch each other’s backs.  _

Zolf assesses the situation, taking stock of the creature perched on his chest along with the general situation in the city. He examines the scales of this lizard-like (draconic?) creature that looks unlike anything he’s ever come across or even  _ heard of _ and realizes the sheen of them looks familiar, that they look the same color as the ones that Hamid sprouts sometimes when using magic and it clicks. 

Looking into the creatures eyes and seeing the familiarity and fondness in them he whispers “Hamid?”

_ Hamid, recognizing his name, makes a pleased noise in answer and nuzzles back into Zolf’s neck.  _

Zolf holds the back of Hamid’s head in shock before mumbling “What the hell happened to you? What are you doing  _ here _ ?”

_ Hamid doesn’t know what Zolf is saying. He knows that he is saying  _ words  _ but he has no way to translate them. He can read tone, though, and Zolf sounds worried, panicked even. He tries his best to settle into the dwarf’s chest. That will calm him down, right? Knowing that Hamid is there? That he won’t leave? He tries to make soothing rumbling noises in his chest. _

Zolf looks down at Hamid as he tries to tuck himself as tight and close to his chest as possible and realizes, oh. Hamid isn’t all there. If he  _ can  _ understand Zolf at all he can’t  _ speak _ . He sighs heavily and wraps his other arm around Hamid’s middle.

“Gods, Hamid,” he mumbles. “What did you all get yourselves caught up in?”

Hamid, of course, has no answer for him, which means Zolf is basically at square one with trying to figure out what happened. Hamid clearly got some sort of spell put on him, which means that he was in some sort of fight. Sasha and Bertie aren’t here either which means either Hamid ran off because of the spell or something happened to them as well (he will admit to being much more concerned about one than the other). The best course of action would be to try and find them but where-

“The opera house,” Zolf says aloud. “Of course they’re at the opera house, it’s where the goddamn magic spooky voice is coming from.”

Hamid makes a tired little noise and tries to burrow further into Zolf’s neck. The snuffly breaths against his neck tell him that Hamid is trying to nap. He sighs. 

“Hamid, I cannot just carry you like this all the way to the opera house. You’re small but you’re heavy. You have to walk,” he scolds him, pushing at the man (creature?) perched on his chest. 

_ Hamid lifts his head and narrows his eyes while making an annoyed chittering noise. Fine. If Zolf wants him to move he will. So he crawls up Zolf’s chest to increasing protests and drapes himself across the dwarf’s shoulders with his tail curled protectively around his neck. He settles in and puts his head back down on his arms with a small huff. _

“That’s really not what I meant,” Zolf grumbles, knowing that it’s useless. 

He sighs and raises himself to his feet. Hamid perching on his shoulders makes him a bit off balance but he can manage. At least the water legs are useful for this. 

The opera house is fairly central so it isn’t a terribly long walk there, though they are at one point tripped up by what are clearly panicked fleeing civilians, which really only tells Zolf that he’s headed in the right direction. Hamid growls at a few of them but Zolf only has to put a light hand on his arm and give him a stern look to make him stop. Once they get through the crowd, though, it’s a pretty straight shot and before he knows it Zolf is staring down the ornate doors of the opera house. 

He’s frozen in place. He shouldn’t be here. He deliberately left this behind. He’s a liability, too caught up in his own shit to be able to protect himself let alone three other people. He-

_ Hamid curls tighter around Zolf and makes a worried noise. The dwarf suddenly got tense and he’s staring at the door in front of him with emotions that Hamid can’t place. He seems sad. Hamid doesn’t want him to be upset. He wants to help.  _

Zolf looks down at Hamid, looking up at him with a concerned expression. Right. He has something he needs to take care of. He can break down after someone breaks the spell. So he takes a deep breath and opens the door. 

The first person he spots is Sasha. She looks  _ awful _ . She’s streaked with blood and grime and she’s carefully cradling one hand to her chest and it doesn’t look good. Her skin has this distinctly grey pallor to it that he had started noticing on the airship but has gotten  _ so much worse _ . Right. He was so caught up in his own shit that he never found her a new healer. Now look at her. 

Then he sees who she seems to be arguing with. Two men and a woman, all human, all dressed in a way that says they’re likely well-off academics. Wizards, if he had to guess. Either way, it raises his hackles immediately. 

Then his gaze lands on a fifth figure. A goblin with pitch black skin and bright red eyes in paladin regalia. Artemis, from the crest on his breastplate. He looks to be very on edge and is standing at Sasha’s side.

Of course, now that he’s entered the room all eyes are on him. 

“Zolf?” Sasha asks, looking as surprised as he’s ever seen her. 

“Hey, Sasha,” he says quietly. 

“Zolf?” the goblin questions. “You mean the one who left you guys?”

He winces at the paladin’s harsh tone, causing Hamid to growl from where he’s perched on Zolf’s shoulder.

“I don’t mean to alarm anyone,” asks the old wizard in the corner. “But what the hell is that?”

“It’s Hamid,” Zolf explains, looking only at Sasha. “He got hit by some spell and ran straight up to me.”

“Do you mind if I take a look at him?” the female wizard asks Zolf. 

Zolf raises an eyebrow at Sasha, unsure who this woman is and if he can trust her. She shrugs back in a motion he takes to mean  _ I wouldn’t say I trust her but she’s your best option _ , so Zolf nods at the woman and lays a comforting hand on Hamid’s back as she comes closer. 

_ Hamid huffs in frustration as the Magic Woman prods at him. He doesn’t like it but Zolf thinks that it’s okay and keeps glaring every time he begins to growl at her, so there must be a reason for it. He’ll allow it, reluctantly. _

“Hmm,” she says, almost to herself. “It looks like someone has cast Feeblemind on him.” Zolf winces at that. It’s a spell he’s heard of and a particularly nasty one at that. He isn’t even powerful enough to cast the spell needed to cure it, which poses a major problem. 

“If you come with us up to the university hopefully we can cure it while we try to figure out how to help you,” she continues gesturing at Sasha with that.

Zolf throws a confused look at Sasha. “I can heal you up if that’s what you need. Gods know I haven’t been using magic for much recently.”

She just shakes her head. “Healing doesn’t work anymore. Don’t know why,” she mumbles. 

He locks eyes with the paladin, who just shrugs at him and looks mildly guilty. He can’t imagine why divine healing wouldn’t help but it smells suspiciously of Mr Ceiling. Paris fucked everything up, why not this too?

“Right,” Zolf says slowly. “I guess we don’t have much choice but to go then.”

The woman nods and turns back to her companions. “Einstein,” she calls, causing the old man to startle.

“What?” he shouts, sounding annoyed.

“If you would teleport us back to the university, please?” It is phrased like a request but spoken like an order.

“Yes! Alright, alright,” he mumbles to himself, beginning the hand gestures needed to cast teleport. Zolf catches him muttering something about being unappreciated before the teleport takes hold with a rush. Before he knows it, they're all in the university, floating high above Prague.

The woman is immediately off, ordering people around and calling for others as she goes. Sasha is quickly surrounded by about a dozen students in dark robes which at one point may have concerned Zolf but, well, he knows she can handle herself and, anyway, the paladin is sticking close to her so it’s probably fine. Someone (a student, maybe, just judging by how simultaneously nervous and fascinated they look) offers him a place to sit down, and he does so gracelessly. Hamid is still perched on his shoulders, growling at anyone who comes too close and making sounds that are almost purrs in Zolf’s ear. 

“Right,” he says, startling Hamid as he pushes against him. “You can’t stay sitting on my shoulders all day. I’m getting a crick in my neck and they want to turn you back soon anyway.”

_ Hamid doesn’t know  _ why  _ it is that Zolf is trying to dislodge him from his shoulders, he was comfortable and trying to nap, but he knows when he’s not wanted somewhere and crawls down. Still into Zolf’s lap though. When Zolf tries to kick Hamid off his lap as well, he staunchly refuses, nipping warningly at Zolf’s hand when the shoving gets a little too rough. It makes Zolf stop though, so he just curls up again. _

Sasha comes over after a little bit, not looking quite better but at least looking like she isn’t about to fall right over. She nods silently and sits on the ground next to him. After a minute or two of silence it becomes clear she isn’t the one who’s going to try and break it.

“So do you know what exactly is wrong?” he asks, gesturing vaguely at her entire person.

“I’ve got a mild case of undead,” she says, as if it’s something that happens every day.

“You  _ what _ ?”

“Apparently Mr Ceiling brought me back from the dead, but he did a bad job of it so I’m a little undead now,” she explains.

Zolf sighs loudly and lets his weight pull him further down in his chair. “Of course it was Mr Ceiling. Why  _ wouldn’t  _ it be his fault? Everything else is.” 

_ Hamid, sensing Zolf’s shift in mood, crawls up his chest and tucks his head under his chin with a whining sound deep in his throat. He doesn’t know what’s wrong but he wants to make Zolf feel better. _

Zolf sits back up, putting a comforting hand on the back of Hamid’s head. “Sorry. He keeps doing this,” he says, looking down at Hamid’s form tucked against his chest. “I don’t know why. I don’t know why he chose to go after  _ me _ .”

Sasha gives out a huff that isn’t a laugh, but is about as close to one as she ever gives. “Are you kidding, boss?” she asks incredulously. When she sees Zolf’s blank look she looks away but continues all the same. “He missed you the most out of all of us. He cried for a  _ while  _ after you left and I think he really felt the space where you were missing.” Another not quite laugh. “Hell, he bought  _ four  _ opera tickets. Before Grizzop even came on.” She gestures at where the goblin paladin is pacing on the other side of the room. “It’s no wonder he went to find you after. Well. After.”

“After  _ what _ ?” Zolf questions. “I’m still not sure what happened. I don’t even know what happened to Bertie. Where is he?”

She heaves a sigh but explains all the same. “Kafka, the guy we were after, he killed Bertie. Killed Hamid’s sister, too.” That makes Zolf bodily turn to look at Sasha. “Yeah, I know. She was the soprano in the opera. He killed her just because she was there, I think.”

“Oh god, Hamid,” he whispers, looking at the little lizard looking thing that’s tucked himself completely under Zolf’s chin. 

Hamid doesn’t know what’s going on like this but he  _ will  _ and it will be utterly  _ devastating _ . He had this half-formed idea that after Hamid was fixed he would leave again but, well, Bertie is dead and he can’t leave Hamid after such a devastating loss. It wouldn’t be right.

Zolf is about to ask Sasha about what else happened tonight but then the woman from before walks over with someone in tow, a cleric of Aphrodite by the looks of it. 

“It took some doing to find a cleric who had the correct spell prepared, but I managed,” she says without a greeting.

Zolf nods at her and tries to gently unhook Hamid’s claws from where they’ve dug into his clothing. “C’mon, you’ve got to get down. I promise that you won’t want to be right on top of me in a few minutes,” he tells him gently. He knows Hamid can’t understand him but he hopes the tone gets across at least. 

_ Hamid reluctantly unhooks from where he had been tucked into Zolf’s chest but only lets himself be moved as far as Zolf’s lap, growling low and digging his claws in when he tries to move him off. He only recognizes Sasha, so he has to protect himself and Zolf from this possible threat.  _

Zolf sighs heavily and looks up apologetically at the cleric. “Sorry, it looks like this is the best I can do.”

The cleric nods impassively and mutters an incantation while moving their hands to cast the spell. Then they touch Hamid in the center of the forehead. The change is slow, rolling through Hamid’s body. He blinks rapidly and gives a full-body shudder. First his eyes return to their normal deep brown, then the scales start to disappear, hands come from claws, and the tail is gone.

_ Hamid looks around, trying to get his bearings. He remembers being under the spell but it’s like looking through a fog. None of it is clear, he has to sift through it for information. He looks to one side to see Sasha and Grizzop looking on curiously. He looks behind him and sees that, oh  _ gods _ , he’s sitting in Zolf’s lap.  _

“I’m so sorry!” he shouts, scrambling out of Zolf’s space. He looks down and realizes he’s just in his pants. “Oh  _ dear _ .”

“Here, mate,” Sasha says, handing him his magic sleeves and bag. 

“Oh, thank you, Sasha,” he tells her gratefully, immediately putting them on and donning his usual outfit. He prestidigitates on his eyeliner and fixes his hair for good measure. “That’s much better.”

“What do you remember?” Zolf asks.

Hamid looks up with wide eyes. “I remember everything, mostly. It’s kind of fuzzy because I wasn’t really myself,” he answers, and then remembers with a sudden force who he’s talking to. “Oh my goodness, Zolf, I am so sorry for coming after you! I know that you wanted a break and-”

“It’s fine, Hamid,” Zolf promises. “Like you said, you weren’t really yourself.” He pauses. “Though I am still curious about why you went after  _ me  _ of all people.”

_ Hamid stops for a moment. Why  _ did  _ he go after Zolf? He remembers thinking he had to protect him, but why- Oh. Oh, gods. That’s right. Bertie.  _ Aziza _ . They’re both- oh gods.  _

“I- I-” he starts before bursting into tears. 

Zolf quickly steps forward to collect the weeping halfling into his arms. He has been waiting for that to finally hit Hamid, knowing he would have to gather him up after he fell to pieces. He’s glad that he could be here, actually. He’s always been better when helping others, especially people he cares about. People he lo- 

He stops that train of thought in its tracks. Now isn’t the time for that, not while Hamid is sobbing and burying his face into his neck and clinging to him like he will absolutely fall apart if he lets go of Zolf for even a second. So Zolf will stay here and comfort Hamid, protect him as everyone no doubt gets into trouble again, and maybe, if he has the time, explore that thought. Even though the possibility of it scares him more than anything. He will stay, for Hamid if nothing else.


End file.
